Twenty fire engines and around 125 firefighters tackled a fire at a warehouse on Box Lane in Barking.
Parts of the roof, Waste Transfer System, and around 200 tons of household rubbish and plant equipment were damaged by the fire. There are no reports of any injuries.
Speaking from the scene, Station Commander Graham Beers said: "Firefighters worked hard to bring this fire under control. People in the local area were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to the high volume of smoke being produced by the fire. Crews will likely remain on scene throughout the night, so please avoid the area while firefighters respond."
One of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to fight the fire from above. The drone team were also in attendance to help provide the Incident Commander with a better aerial view of the scene.
The Brigade was called at 2054 and the fire was under control by 0124. Crews from Barking, Dagenham, Ilford and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is undetermined.